The gastrointestinal microbiota has been shown to play a number of vital roles in maintaining gastrointestinal tract functions and overall physiological health, playing a role in the control of bacterial overgrowth, bacterial translocation, nutrient availability, immune stimulation, septicemia as well as pathogenic development. The microbiota closely interacts with many components of the gut and is one primary actor involved in the gut barrier function. It also participates in the protection of individuals from pathogens attack by adequately stimulating the immune system and interfering with pathogens virulence. For all those reasons, a well balanced microbiota is a guarantee for the maintenance of a healthy gut and intestinal barrier function.
The intestinal tract is colonized by microorganisms, such as Bacteroides, Lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria and also E. coli. The maintenance of a normal colonization of the gut by those specific strains (quantitative and qualitative) is essential in insuring a healthy gastrointestinal tract protection and function.
However, this important but vulnerable balance of the gastrointestinal ecosystem can be altered by many factors such as antibiotic treatment, drug, change in diet, environmental factors such as psychological or physiological stress, age, surgery, and pathologic conditions (IBD) within the gastrointestinal tract and pathologic conditions.
An impaired balance of the ecosystem may result in impairing the gut barrier function, by reducing its protective action against pathogens attack and virulence and its beneficial stimulating action on individual's immune system. Such alterations will impair the gut barrier integrity and function and may result in increased bacterial translocation and allergy risks.
In the art several means have already been proposed to impact the bacterial balance of the gut. For example, CN 1181244 provides a health care oral liquid prepared through acclimating, culturing and amplifying thermophilic lactostreptococcus and acidophilic lactobacillus in defatted milk containing bone slurry. This liquid rich in activated calcium, vitamins and amino acids is used to regulate bacterial balance in the intestine.
Also, in BE 694500, a dietetic alimentary product having adequate and non-residual nutritivity is designed for reducing the intestinal flora, consists of an aqueous emulsion of a water-soluble constituent (II), a fat-soluble constituent (III) and an emulsifier; (II) being an aqueous solution of water-soluble vitamins, mineral salts, carbohydrates and a nitrogen source chosen from amino acids, amino acid derivatives, protein hydrolysates and mixtures thereof; and (III) being fat-soluble vitamins and a material chosen from molecularly defined fats, substitutes for molecularly defined fats and fatty acids. This composition gives rise to a reduction in blood-ammonia levels and a reduction in hypertension caused by toxic metabolites (e.g. tyramine) of intestinal bacteria. Other benefits of a reduced intestinal microflora include the lower doses of antibiotics required for the treatment of infections.
However, there is still a need for a nutritional composition that is capable of promoting a well-balanced intestinal microbiota. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide improved means to promote the growth of the gut microbiota and to promote or restore an optimal intestinal microbiota ecosystem in an individual beneficial for it.